Harlequin of Hate
by ChurchXC
Summary: In a world where there the Batman has dissapeared and where his Rougue Gallery is imprissioned, a new gang called the Jokerz gains control of the streets of Gotham. Who will rise to combat this new threat? Oneshot, revision to come.


Well, this is my first attempt at a Batman work. And... I don't know how I feel about it. I mean, its alright, but... shrug I want to revise it, but that has to wait. I just wanna see how this work is percieved. Be gentle.

**Disclaimer:**I do not own any of the characters or this series. Just the plot.

Based on parts of _The Dark Knight Returns, The Killing Joke_, and a few of my own ideas.

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Arkham Asylum. Perched atop a lone hill within Northern Gotham, this was the place the criminally insane were held after capture by the police, or more likely, Batman. Built for maximum security, it held an awful track record with famous prisoners. Almost anytime someone worth mentioning was captured, they escaped. However, no one had broken free of the Asylum in a year.

No one knew exactly why this was, but those who dared laid the blame on their protector's feet. "The Batman…" they whispered in the shadows, "is what attracted all of those madmen in the first place…" However, no one dared to announce this, in fear of jinxing the peace that they had held on to for such a precious year.

A year ago, The Batman had swept through the city like a plague, cleaning the streets of Gotham of all of its crime. Then, just as suddenly as he had appeared a few years ago, he vanished. Since that time, none of the big name criminals had escaped from Arkham, and the police force was capable of handling the small time robbers and criminals that appeared from time to time. In essence, Gotham had been cleansed.

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Sitting in one of the chairs in the 'lounge' of Arkham was the Joker. The comedian turned villain who used to be feared through all the streets and all of Arkham was now looked on with a slight humor. Since the day Batman had disappeared, the Joker had quieted down drastically. Since that day, he had caused no trouble.

One gray-sleeved arm on the armrest of his chair, the Joker put a hand on his cheek, a slight frown on his face. Sighing, he looked at the people moving through the room with disdain. Life had become boring without the Batman around. Life wasn't as funny anymore. What good were any of the Joker's acts without his straight man?

The room was full of some of Gotham's most famous villains. The Riddler sat at one of the tables in the corner, playing _Clue_ with some of the other inmates. The Ventriloquist also sat in another corner, apparently attempting to make a sock puppet without the guards notice. Scarecrow was sitting in another chair, watching the television mounted to the opposite wall.

Entering the room, Poison Ivy walked across the 'lounge' and walked to the television, changing the channel from to a show about gardening. "Hey!" Jonathan Crane shouted, slamming his hand down on his chair's armrest, "I was watching that!"

"Not anymore you're not…" Ivy said, almost gliding the to the green couch that was in-between the two chairs. Smiling smugly, she curled up onto the couch, watching the show about plants. Scarecrow groaned, closing his eyes.

"Tonight at 6… A gang calling emulating the Joker himself hits the streets of Gotham. Only on channel three…" Drifted from the television set on a commercial of the garden show.

Not many heard this announcement as the volume was turned down low. However, The Joker did. Jumping to his feet, he ran to the TV set, and flipped the station to channel three.

"Hey! I was watching that!" Poison Ivy shouted.

Glaring as he turned, the Joker said, "And now you're watching this!" Poison Ivy grumbled, but knew better then to mess with the Joker. Humor aside, all still remembered when he had been Batman's greatest foe. No one wanted to reawaken that.

Finding channel three, the Joker turned up the volume on the television set, only taking a few steps away from it as GNN started. The other inmates behind him grumbled at the prospect of not being able to see the TV, but said nothing to Joker.

"Welcome to GNN, Gotham News Network. My name is Clara Barton, your anchor for the six o'clock news." The blonde woman in a red suit said, a stack of papers before her as she sat in her desk. "Tonight's breaking story documents a new criminal organization to hit the streets of Gotham, called the Jokerz."

With this news, even the quiet muttering usual to the lounge fell to a hush. All eyes fell to the blocked TV set, trying to catch what was being said.

"Sources say that this group dresses up in imitation of the Joker, and runs the streets, using tricks based on the Joker's own schemes and weaponry. Thus far, the police have nothing to say besides be careful. It is unknown what their purposes are at this time… However, there have been eyewitness…" the reporter was abruptly cut off as a gloved hand switched the television off.

For the rest of the night, the Joker was silent. The doctors and guards took no notice of this of course, seeing it as his usual stoic behavior. However, the convicts guessed what was going on in the Joker's mind, and left him alone. They did not want involved if their guesses were correct.

At ten o'clock that night, the first part of their predictions came true.

"The Joker has escaped!" A frighten guard yelled. He had been walking down the corridors, doing routine inspection right before lights out. All was fine until he came to the Joker's empty cell.

Red lights suddenly began to glare throughout the Asylum as bars fell in front of the thick-glassed cells of the prisoners. Guards began to run through Arkham, searching for the mad clown. All held their rifles tightly. None wanted the Joker out among the norm… and that included loose among them.

One of the guards shouted, "Do you think he went down the laundry chute?"

Another one of the guards laughed. "Rookie, _none _of these criminals are that crazy. Who would go down there?"

Meanwhile, a few stories below the main search party, the Joker was pulling himself out of the pile of clothes beneath the laundry chute. Plucking a pair of underwear off of his head, the Joker rotated an arm, getting the feeling back into it. Stepping out of the pile, he looked down at the pile of clothing he had landed in. "Yikes…" he muttered, edging farther from the clothes. Had they just cleaned Clayface's cell or something?

Running over to one of the walls, Joker pushed one of the washers away from the wall. Bending down, he pulled on a few wires before pushing one of the bricks, causing a small panel to slide up into the wall, just large enough for a man to slide through and out into the bay below. "You'd think they'd learn by now…" Joker said, pushing himself through the hole. As he slid down the slope into the bay, the wall closed behind him, pulling the washer back to its normal place in the wall.

Hitting the cold water, the Joker shivered theatrically, before diving under the waves to avoid both notice from the guards and abuse from the waves. Only coming up for breaths, he swam towards the shore, fighting the slow current trying to drag him back towards Arkham.

Finally, he reached the shore. Walking onto the solid ground, Joker could not help but throw his head back and laugh madly.

At least for the time being, the Joker was back.

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Somewhere within the city, a television set was turned to the eleven o'clock news.

"This just in! The Joker has escaped from Arkham Asylum! It is advised that everyone is _extremely_ cautious! There are no leads on his whereabouts or why he escaped. However, it must be assumed that he is armed and _extremely_ dangerous. I repea-" The TV was turned off before the reporter could finish speaking.

In the basement of his old hideout, The Stacked Deck, Mr. J set down a remote control after just changing into his trademark purple suit. "Ah, the old threads still fit!" he exclaimed with glee. Pulling a few items out of the locker in the back of the hideout, he stuffed them in his suit. The only other thing in the small locker was a picture of Harley Quinn. Touching the picture, he smiled softly, before turning to towards the stairs and running up them, back towards the city streets of Gotham.

Bursting out of the door, he headed to the garage that was next to the Stacked Deck. Pulling a tarp, he uncovered a large, purple sedan. Looking at it sentimentally, he smiled. "Poppa J's back honey… Did you miss me?" Running his hand across the hood of the car, he ran to the driver's seat and flung open the door before jumping in the driver seat.

Insider on the passengers seat was a large purple fedora. Pulling it onto his head, he pulled it over his face, just low enough so that he could just see the road. No senses letting anyone know he was coming until it was too late.

Pulling out of the garage, he pulled into the generally empty Gotham streets. His search for the Jokerz gang had begun!

…And ended almost as soon as it started. He hadn't gone more then a block when he drove past an alleyway with three men dressed in various clown suits. "Oh, come on! You gotta be kidding me! It was this simple?!" Sighing, he shook his head, "And I was hoping they'd prove to be more fun…."

Parking his car on the curb, the Joker exited his car, he slammed the door to his car shut, and practically strutting, walked into the alleyway.

Two of the Jokerz turned to to at the approaching man and snickered, gesturing at him with their guns. "Heh, look at this Clay, we got a fool with a death wish!" the jester mask covered his entire face.

The other man snickered. "Hey, Jack! Check this guy out!" He said to the other man. This man was holding a woman who was barely struggling to escape his grasp anymore. Her clothes were ripped, and bruises were blossoming across her face. This man snickered as he smacked the woman, causing her to fall to the ground completely. Only her eyes moved.

"Ah… boys…. You don't deserve to wear those mask…or use that name just to get with women…" The Clown Prince of Crime said, his fingers deep within the pockets of his suit.

One of the men laughed. "Yeah, and who do you think you are to tell us that?" he asked.

Shrugging, the Joker said, "Just an old clown trying to keep his name respectable…"

Suddenly, his hands shot out from his pockets. A playing card flew out of each hand, stabbing each of the men in their right hands, making them drop their guns. The two men howled in pain. Slowly however, that pain was replaced with laughter, before the alleyway was full of the mad crackling issuing from the two men's mouths.

The other man stared at the Joker in horror, his eyes wide beneath the mask. "You..you… your… you're the Joker! I thought you were dead!"

Shaking his index finger at Jack, he leaned over slightly, pushing the brim of his hat up slightly. "Ah, Jack my boy! That's a gross overstatement. I've never felt better! Now! Hurry back to your boss. Tell him the Joker's back in town!"

Jack turned and ran out of the alley, fearing for his life as the Joker threw his head back and laughed.

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The next day, the news reports were filled with news of two dead Jokerz members. There were also reports from a young woman saying how she has seen the Joker and he had saved her life. However, all who heard the story dismissed it as a bad dream or lunacy.

However, unrenowned to the public, the mortician had found Joker Venom in the two deceased gang members' blood streams. Up until now, there had been no reports of Joker Venom used by the Jokerz. Was this a new strike from the Jokerz, warning members and citizens alike? Or, had the woman's story been true?

The Joker did not care what anyone thought. He simply had one thing on his mind. Revenge. These young punks were ruining the good name he had built up for himself! No one could use the Joker's name or image but him! It was more mad then him!

His hunt continued for five days. Each time he found a group of the gang, he killed all but one, telling them to warn their leader. Each time, he ended up saving yet another citizen from a cruel fate induced by the gang. Slowly, the police began to believe the amazing reports of the Joker's heroism.

However, Police Commissioner Gordon kept the manhunt to capture the Joker. No matter how many people he saved, he was out there killing. That had to be stopped.

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"Hm… Six days… to find. Not bad… not bad at all!" The Harlequin of Hate said to himself, looking at the small building on the outskirts of Gotham. After six days of tracking, he had finally found it; the Jokerz hideout. It was a small, brick structure, hardly imposing. This gang was truly a disgrace to the Joker name!

"Now… I should handle this delicately…" He said to himself, stroking his chin with his gloved hand. Reaching into his suit, he pulled out two smiley-faced stickers and slapped them a steel door, running a wire between the two. Stepping back from the door, he pressed a button on his watch. The two smiley faces ignited and caused the plastic explosives within them to explode, making the door launch into the building. "That should do it!"

Entering the room, the Joker clapped his hands as the seven Jokerz present stared at him. "Ah… soddy workmanship." He grinned at the gang, all of who winced beneath their masks. However, one man did stood, glaring at the Joker. This man had his face painted in imitation of the Joker. However, he was not grinning.

"Who do you think you are?!" The man screamed, moving from behind the large wooden table he had been sitting at, and walked towards the Joker. "I am the leader of the most fearsome gang in all of Gotham! I am-!" The Joker cut him off.

"A spoiled brat playing with things that aren't yours. Now…" The Joker reached into his suit jacket to pull out a large, black gun, "Play times over kiddy. You've had your fun. Now its Uncle J's turn." Grinning wickedly, he pulled the trigger.

All the Jokerz this time, including their leader winced. However, there was no gunshot. When they all opened their eyes, they saw a large flag at the end of the Joker's gun that said 'BANG!'. The Joker was chuckling softly.

Holding up his hands, the leader looked at the Joker worriedly, anxiety obvious in his voice. "Now… come on now… We were only just… just keeping your name alive! Yeah that's it!" He began to rub the paint off of his face, "It was outta respect for you! We were gonna give you control of the gang! Honest!"

Grinning, the Joker lowered the gun. "Oh really? Keeping my name alive? With petty theft? Bah! You know nothing of what it is like to be the Joker! Back in my day…" However, a window in the side of the room breaking cut him off.

All turned to see what had caused the window to break and gasped in amazement. As the dark figure rose, the gun dropped from Joker's hand. "B-b-bats! You…." He got no further as the Batman sprang into action, throwing bat-a-rangs at the members of the Jokerz gang.

That was all the Joker saw before his mind went blank. He began to stutter as the Batman fought. "But… I thought… you… and me…. And that you were… and… and… and…" Shoulders slumping, the Joker could do nothing but watch as the Batman took out the entire Jokerz gang.

Striding over to the Joker, the Batman pulled a pair of handcuffs out of his utility belt as the sound of sirens grew as they approached. Putting the Joker's hands behind him with little resistance, the Batman snapped the handcuffs on the Joker.

The Joker simply looked at the Batman and said, "….That's not funny."

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Well, remember, review, tell me how bad I screwed up, just don't flame. I had a deadline for this one, and it was just supposed to serve as a thrown together work, and I wanted to see what the community thought of it before I handed it in. The people I'm showing it to wanted to see what my hurried work looks like for some reason...

So, be nice please. I'll have a better version posted soon. Revised and actually checked by a beta...

Maikeru


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